Leanne Hecht Bearden

This is a discussion page set up for astrology discussion in relation to the event of Leanne Mary Hecht Bearden’s disappearance from Garden Ridge, Texas on 17th January 2014.

Details contained in this page can change, as further information comes to hand.

Leanne Bearden’s husband, Josh Bearden was together with his wife at his parent’s residence; the couple were alone at the time. He reports that Leanne left voluntarily around 1:30pm to go for a walk. The Garden City Police Department advise that the MPR was lodged at approximately 5:20pm.

This tells us that the times are general, rather than specific. Not a good start for generating astrology wheels! Nevertheless we will create horary charts (snapshots in time) and bi-wheels (method) in an effort to get some idea of what is happening according to the tension in the planetary positions.

Astrology is a pseudo science, is subjective and not recognised in a court of law. We ask questions and interpret planetary positions by classical means. The content of this enquiry can only be interpreted as opinion. That said, we dive in the deep end…

The first chart is a snapshot of an event – approx. time of disappearance. This can give us an idea of the general tension at the time.

click on chart for full size

Event Chart: Went for a walk, alone. Time used for chart 1:22pm

Saturn (red) conjunct descendant – control struggle within a relationship. (This is an alarm bell aspect in FA interpretation if a person is deceased)

Moon (blue) 4th house opposite Mercury (yellow) 10th house – likely an intense emotional discussion has recently taken place (when Mercury would have crossed the MC) in relation to “need for a career”.

Note: When Venus is in retrograde motion in either a natal chart or transiting in the heavens above, this is suggestive of a difficulty with being open/hidden agendas. We could suggest that this was not a good time for an emotionally driven discussion.

As we have a suggested clock-time, we can look at the developmental tension in this horary chart – there are five planets in hard aspect. The angles take priority in interpretation and so we can address them as the burning questions on the agenda.

Saturn (red) is in Scorpio (deep seated issues) at the cusp of the 7th house (relationships). The natural zodiac signs for Saturn are primarily Capricorn and secondary, Aquarius. When we look at this chart we can see that is the cusp of the 9th and 10th houses are Capricorn and Aquarius. We could therefore suggest that there is a need/desire for re-training in relation to a career in order to control a life moving forward. Feeling inadequate could be the driver here.

Moon (blue) is in Leo (regal position) and the driving need in a person’s life and softens the Sun’s illumination (ego). The Moon in this chart is in the 4th house (home/heart). The natural house for the Moon is the zodiac sign of Cancer and in this chart that is the cusp of the 3rd house – communication. We could therefore suggest that there is a need/desire for communication regarding Saturn’s position. A struggle for the throne, perhaps.

Mars (red) is the drive to action and in Libra this is a social position; note Mars is also quindecile in this chart to the 12th house. The natural house for Mars is Aries and in this chart the zodiac sign of Aries is at the cusp of the 12th house. This is likely a compulsive drive to action on a mental issue in relation to a position in society. Suggests the retraining idea again.

Venus (pink) in Capricorn is about relationships taking a serious turn; note the square to Mars, pushing for action. The natural zodiac houses for Venus are Libra and Taurus. In this chart Libra is at the cusp of the 6th house and Taurus, the 1st house). This is sure to be about me and my position in this relationship.

Mercury (yellow) is in Aquarius indicating ‘off the wall suggestions’; a need for uniqueness, mirrored by the Moon. The natural houses for Mercury are Virgo and Gemini. In this chart that is the cusp of the 5th (giving of love) and 2nd houses (self worth). There is a driving need to communicate their uniqueness; a sense of self worth and being lovable.

That gives us an idea of what’s on the agenda, before we bring anyone into the picture. It’s time now to look at the natal chart for the missing person.

Natal chart: Leanne Hecht Bearden

We can reproduce a natal chart for Leanne Bearden, however without a birth time, angles and houses cannot be taken into consideration. We cannot use the cusp’s for interpretation. The time is generated at noon for the exercise; a mid-range Moon.

It is not our usual practice to include the asteroids in a natal chart, however we do on this occasion as Chiron at 18° Taurusis very much in the mix of her character.

Note that 18° Taurus is very close to the ascendant of Event#1 – the time Leanne is said to have left the house.

Chiron in Taurus always, always relates to issues of self worth. These individuals can live very frugally; the threat of poverty does not deter their taking financial risks. Is this the basis for the relationship struggle?

On the day that Leanne was born, the asteroid Pelion #49036 was at 18°Taurus, exact conjunct natal Chiron. Mount Pelion in Greece is the location of mythological Chiron’s cave; his home. Does this suggest that when wounded (Chiron), Leanne would likely retreat to her cave?

Note that the overall planet arrangement portrays a fan layout. Leanne does not fly solo particularly well. She likely bounces ideas off friends and motivates herself to progress through life that way.

Leanne has Chiron square the Lunar nodal axis – this is not a stay-at-home sort of girl, nor would she hermit herself. Leanne needs to be out there in the public arena and on the public stage in order to reinforce her sense of self-worth.

Midpoint: Neptune (turquoise)/Pluto (red)= Chiron – loss of frame of reality is at risk here with intensification of sensory sensitivity. Is she prone to migraines, or is there a neurosis/psychosis that needs to be taken into consideration?

Uranus (red) square lunar nodal axis – open to new experiences in the public arena.

Moon within range to conjunct lunar nodal axis – This girl’s driving need is to communicate with the public, don’t keep her under lock and key.

DH notes re natal chart for Leanne Bearden:

Mars 6° Scorpio conjunct Crux the Cross (at the very top of the cross) semi square Jupiter and square to Venus Semi-square Neptune – Was fooled by a man! Big time. Could it be a stranger riding a vehicle? She & Josh did a LOT of hitchhiking around the globe.

Crux – Gacrux (top of the cross) : quote ” I suggest more a sense of cross-purposes and energies in conflict ” . (Isaac Mozeson).

Mars is also conjunct “Khambalia” in the left foot of the Virgin : Of the nature of Mercury and Mars. It causes swift violence, unreliability, changeability, and an argumentative nature. [Robson*, p.173.] (Reference)

Bi-wheel #1: Went for a walk plus natal chart of Leanne Bearden.

We view through the lens of the same perspective of the event chart above. The outer wheel is the natal chart of Leanne Bearden. Note that the Moon is mid-range with a noon-time birth used.

First up, we note that the hemisphere analysis is weighted on the RHS – putting others first; sacrificing personal needs.

That leads us to suggest that there are no indications that the original intention was to go walk-about or run away.

The driving action behind this alarming Saturn-Uranus conjunction is in the 6th house. Being opposite to the 12th house/the mind, the 6th house also represents mental-health (the 12th house when considering relationships).Natal Mars indicates that the action is self-motivated.

We note that there is no earth or fire in the 6th house – it’s all about emotions. Natal Mars is reaching out for the energy of the transiting Moon in Leo in the 4th house/home, but the need is not being fulfilled.

The midpoints are particularly poignant for interpretation as to their influence on Leanne’s natal Mars in Scorpio.

Transit Sun (orange)/Moon (blue) = natal Mars. The Sun/Moon midpoint is the strongest personal midpoint in any chart. A force has upset the relationship; a moral dilemma perhaps. I would suggest this has action been building for some considerable time. Mars in Scorpio is not going to make a rash decision.

Transit Sun opposite natal Venus (pink) – highlights the natal Venus. A Cancerian Venus is usually a woman who is quick to take offense and the slightest hint of rejection makes them retreat into their shell. Has Leanne had to face rejection?

Transit Mars/Saturn= natal Mars – a hot and cold mix; will I or won’t I?

Note: A lot of Mars in the 6th house is indicative of someone working to the point of exhaustion. After putting in a lot of energy they can become impatient if other members of a team/relationship are procrastinating. Mars can become defensive in this position.

Natal Neptune (turquoise) at the 8th house cusp – opinion is at a point of ending (death or transformation)

Considering this bi-wheel from a forensic point of view, that a crime has taken place, we know that Saturn is usually a body locator. Natal Saturn is not in the mix however we have transiting Saturn conjunct natal Uranus at the descendant – erratic behaviour/sudden changes plus keeping company with the grim reaper.

Staying with the possibility that Leanne has met with her demise, being on the east-west horizon axis, this generally indicates that her remains would be found local to the address in Garden Ridge.

**Note for astrologers: Joshua M. Bearden – born 21 May 1974 in Chester, CA. (confirmed from the California birth index) Noon birth-time used for a mid-range Moon.

Bi-wheel #2: The suggested time that Leanne went for a walk plus natal chart of Joshua M. Bearden.

The natal chart for Josh Bearden makes a strong point that must not be overlooked – Lunar South Node is conjunct natal Mercury. This invariably indicates serious issues in Josh’s relationship with his mother. Mercury’s realm is communication plus the zodiac of Gemini – possibly lying and integrity are very sensitive buttons to press with this man.

Has Josh Bearden become an accomplished liar as a result of this nurturing trauma, or is he a clumsy communicator? Let’s hope it is the latter. The charts will tell us yea or nay.

Even though we do not have his birth time the mid-range of natal Moon is at the ascendant – his driving need is directing the action. He is likely highly emotional.

The nurturing issue as above Mercury-South Node is at the cusp of the 2nd house, driving the action in relation of self-worth. There are no two ways around this. The reaction would be immature/childish as a result.

North node is also therefore at the cusp of the 8th house – death/transformation from earthly desires.

The midpoints are our next focus:

Transit Sun (orange in 11th house)/transit Jupiter (green in 3rd house) = natal Venus (pink) in the outer wheel at the top of the chart – recognition of the ego in relation to Venus in Aries.

Venus is in her detriment in Aries – brash, selfish, uncooperative, self-reliant at the expense of inter-dependence. Venus in Aries people need to be physical in order to express pent-up energy. I would be asking here why wasn’t he the one to go for the walk?

I would suggest that the relationship was at a crisis point here. Whether Leannne left or her own free will, or was assisted in her departure – further interpretation is needed.

12:18 PM 13 February, 2014 in Garden City, TX – a 911 call reported the finding of Leanne Bearden’s body in a clump of bamboo on a small acreage, just a 15minute walk from where Leanne had left to go for a walk. The police chief generally indicated that the discovery was not of a suspicious nature, which we can take as being a likely suicide.

With our usual body locator, natal Saturn not in our astrology picture, I suggest that this may be a confirmation that the death was not a crime. This theory will need to be tested with other cases before we include it in out toolkit. So what have we got?

Two residential addresses – a line from one place to another on a two dimensional map.

A 911 call reporting the discovery of the body; a timed event.

Two natal charts.

Bringing heaven down to earth and onto a map of the land (method), we superimpose new bi-wheels from the perspective of the 911 call.The story will be revealed by the bi-wheel’s position on the locator angle; the red line between the two locations.

click on map for full size

The first bi-wheel is that of the 911 call with the outer chart – Leanne Bearden’s birth-chart. Again we only have a mid-range Moon.

The only planet on the locator angle/red line is natal Venus (pink); Leanne herself. There are no further planets on the red line and so I would suggest she was alone when she met with her demise. As for tension in the bi-wheel:

Transiting Lunar nodal axis (public place of a traumatic event) is square this natal Venus. On closer inspection, the tension (Venus and the nodal axis) creates a triangle with the outlet for the energy being opposite Venus at 29°Capricorn.

We have not been able to find an outlet for this blocked energy within this bi-wheel. We need to look further afield. We therefore generate a second bi-wheel for Josh Bearden at the same time. (same method)

Josh Bearden does not have any planets on the locator angle, which suggests his absence from the scene when Leanne met with her demise.

For someone who has just been notified that his missing wife’s body has just been found, we must comment that there is minimal emotive reaction in this bi-wheel. Considering the above interpretation, I would suggest that this man had already moved on emotionally.

Transiting Mercury Rx (yellow) in the 3rd house is square natal Moon (blue) in the first (possibly conjunct ascendant) – theneed to know is fulfilled.

Transiting Saturn/Uranus = 29°Capricorn. Aha!

Normally we would not have made anything of this midpoint, if it weren’t for the previous bi-wheel where Leanne indicated the contribution of this degree.

When we check the asteroids for the date of birth for Josh Bearden he has the asteroid #949 Hel at that point, 29°Capricorn in his natal chart. This asteroid was named by a German astronomer in honour of the Norse Goddess of Death and Rebirth, Hel.

The Goddess of the Dead and the Afterlife was Hel (Holle, Hulda), and was portrayed by the Vikings as being half-dead, half alive herself. The Vikings viewed her with considerable trepidation. The Dutch, Gallic, and German barbarians viewed her with some beneficence, more of a gentler form of death and transformation. She is seen by them as Mother Holle; a being of pure Nature, being helpful in times of need, but vengeful upon those who cross her or transgress natural law.

Now if this was in Leanne’s chart we could be forgiven to accept her suicide, but it is in her husband’s chart. Was it ‘hell’ readjusting to life in the US and Leanne saw her husband as the outlet for her anguish?

As a final exercise, we go back to the beginning, to the time when Leanne walked out the door. Transposing bi-wheel #2 above (1:22pm-Josh Bearden) onto the same map (now that we know the location of her remains).

If you click on the image for full size, note that transiting Venus Rx 17° Capricorn is opposite Josh Bearden’s natal Mars 18° Cancer on the 3rd-9th house axis.

The red locator angle exactly intersects these two planets (transiting Venus and natal Mars). Josh does indeed point the way to where his wife lies; albeit through the heavens.

14 Feb: Preliminary autopsy results show that Leanne Bearden died from asphyxiation by hanging, according to Garden Ridge police. The manner of death has been ruled a suicide, pending toxicology results.

An autopsy has been ordered with the final results expected in four to six weeks (that’s mid to late March 2014).